Android's rapid growth has some developers worried

RadioRaiders · Nov 22, 2009

...as I'm as well a person who messes around writing samll apps (see Cellumap Cellular Coverage Maps) I can relate. I first learned Symbian, since it is currently the largest deployed smartphone OS, but with all the OS'es around, BlackBerry, WinMob, Apple and now Android makes it nearly impossible to write one app that will work on all platforms And a small developer, you really don't have time to re-write the app 100 times for everyone, so I can see small developers like myself targeting selective OS'es and devices and snubbing the rest. This could force some of the less popular OS'es over the cliff, and force phone manufacturers to choose some more mainstream OS'es when making a device.

...as for the main topic of the article, apps built for Android OS "misfiring" on certain hardware devices, all I can say is "ug" :O ...looks like another hurdle in the app development area. Maybe hardware vendors need to work closer together with the OS developers to make sure everyone is on the same page and things (ie: apps) will work as they should? Looks like this is one area where Apple definitely has a leg up...

...and in a final note, it's nice to see the growth and interest in mobile apps I remember the telecom industry was worrying a few years ago "What will be the one "killer app" that will drive mobile internet growth?"... years later, it looks like the answer is there isn't just one, but having 1,000's available so that each person can choose themselves what their own "killer app" will be...

Android's rapid growth has some developers worried - CNN.com

A year after its release, Google's open source Android operating system has become a sensation.

After a slow start, it is now available on at least 12 phones, with more devices waiting in the wings.

Good news for Android fans, right? Not really, say some developers.

A slew of problems have made managing Android apps a "nightmare," they say, including three versions of the OS (Android 1.5, 1.6 and 2.0), custom firmware on many phones, and hardware differences between different models.

For users, it means apps in the store could be buggy, might not work well depending on their handsets, and could deliver a frustrating experience.

Unaware of the increasing back-end complexity, they would then be more likely to leave bad reviews for those apps -- a potentially lethal blow for small businesses, say developers.

"Instead of working on updates to our apps, we find we are trying to make each app work for multiple versions of the OS and different hardware capabilities," says Chris ___an, co-founder at Froogloid, an Android-focused application development company. "We are not complaining about all the growth, but if you are a small or a new Android developer coming in and trying to learn I could see your head exploding. It would be overwhelming," he says.

The problem echoes similar concerns over Java in the 1990s. Originally touted as a way for developers to build apps that would run on any computer ("write once, run anywhere"), developers found that wide variations in Java virtual machines as well as available hardware meant that Java's promise was really "write once, debug everywhere."

While Java is still used -- particularly in the mobile space, where it powers games and other apps written for Java-capable cellphones -- it is not nearly the cross-platform panacea it was originally conceived as.

___an's concern about the fragmentation of Android is being echoed by other developers, says Sean Galligan, vice president of business development at Flurry, an mobile app analytics company.

"There's no question that we are starting to hear developers express concern," says Galligan. "Android is growing very fast and there's a lot of excitement for it but it's also a lot for work, especially for medium and small developers."

Since the launch of the first HTC T-Mobile G1 phone running Android OS, a number of handset makers have jumped on the bandwagon. HTC alone has five Android handsets available, while others like Motorola have shifted completely to the Android platform.

In the past two months, Motorola released two new Android-based handsets, the Cliq and Droid. And in a bid to differentiate themselves, handset makers are creating custom user interfaces like the HTC Sense, the Motorola Blur and the Rachael UI from Sony Ericsson.

Android phones vary significantly in the hardware, too -- phones with and without camera flash, some have physical keyboards, others don't.

"You may build an app that works perfectly with all three firmwares, but then when you run it on carriers' ROMs it completely blows up," says ___an. "So we find ourselves having to create apps that are compatible with multiple firmwares, multiple ROMs and multiple devices with different hardware."

It's in sharp contrast to the iPhone platform.

Apple has tightly controlled the introduction of new iPhones and updates to its operating system. It has just three iPhone models available since it first introduced the phone in 2007. And all iPhone users are prompted to update their phones to be on the same version of the operating system.
Click to expand...

viewfly · Nov 22, 2009

As much as some complain about Apple's philosophy, having the OS developer be the same as the hardware developer certainly has it's advantages, not only for the company like Apple, for the consumer like me, but clearly for the application developers too.

I have the same concern for Android. I read somewhere that Google is now thinking about making phones too. I'd stick with that.

bobolito · Nov 23, 2009

viewfly said: ↑

As much as some complain about Apple's philosophy, having the OS developer be the same as the hardware developer certainly has it's advantages, not only for the company like Apple, for the consumer like me, but clearly for the application developers too.

I have the same concern for Android. I read somewhere that Google is now thinking about making phones too. I'd stick with that.
Click to expand...

Agreed 100%. When Google decided to design Android as open as it is, my first concern was compatibility across devices that will use the OS. It's truly a potential nightmare. I think Google could learn a lesson from Apple on this one, and demand that hardware makers stick to certain design standards.

Forums

Welcome to Our WirelessAdvisor Community!

Android's rapid growth has some developers worried

RadioRaiders RF Black-Belt
Senior Member

viewfly Mobile RF Advisor
Senior Member

bobolito Diamond Senior Member
Senior Member

Share This Page

Useful Searches

Welcome to Our WirelessAdvisor Community!

Android's rapid growth has some developers worried

RadioRaiders RF Black-Belt Senior Member

viewfly Mobile RF Advisor Senior Member

bobolito Diamond Senior Member Senior Member

Share This Page

RadioRaiders RF Black-Belt
Senior Member

viewfly Mobile RF Advisor
Senior Member

bobolito Diamond Senior Member
Senior Member